USPTO Patents Application 10683766

AMENDMENTS TO THE CLAIMS

Please amend the claims as indicated hereafter. [Use strik e through for deleted matter (or
double square brackets"[[]]" if the strikethrough is not easily perceivable, i.e., "4" or a
punctuation mark) and underlined for added matter.]

1-7. (Canceled)

8. (Currently amended) In a particulate-matter-delivery system having a mechanical
agitator and a meter for monitoring the delivery of particulate matter from the system , a method
comprising the steps of:

activating the mechanical agitator;

deactivating the mechanical agitator; [[and]]

recursively repeating the mechanical agitator activating and deactivating steps ; and
deactivating the meter when the mechanical agitator is activated .

9. (Original) The method of claim 8:

wherein the step of activating the mechanical agitator comprises the step of activating the

mechanical agitator during a first time interval; and
wherein the step of deactivating the mechanical agitator comprises the step of

deactivating the mechanical agitator during a second time interval, the second

time interval being greater than the first time interval.

10. (Original) The method of claim 9:

wherein the step of activating the mechanical agitator during the first time interval

comprises the step of activating the mechanical agitator for approximately ten (10)
seconds; and

wherein the step of deactivating the mechanical agitator during the second time interval
comprises the step of deactivating the mechanical agitator for approximately five
(5) minutes.

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11. (Original) The method of claim 9:

wherein the step of activating the mechanical agitator during the first time interval
comprises the step of activating the mechanical agitator for less than
approximately twenty percent (20%) of a duty cycle; and

wherein the step of deactivating the mechanical agitator during the second time interval
comprises the step of deactivating the mechanical agitator for more than
approximately eighty percent (80%) of the duty cycle.

12. (Currently amended) The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:
activating the meter to monitor the delivery of r [metering] ] an output of the particulate

[[-]] matter [[-delivery]] from the system when the mechanical agitator is
deactivated.

13. (New) The method of claim 8, further controlling the activation and deactivation of the
mechanical agitator and the meter by a logic controller.

14. (New) The method of claim 13, wherein the logic controller is a phase-locked loop
circuit.

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